I’m beginning the slow process of analyzing the different weave structures that I want to try. The only rule (for the threading I’ve chosen) is that it has to be weavable on an 8-shaft straight draw threading. The challenge is that I don’t understand all the structures, so I’m not sure which ones are do-able AND will look good on that threading. (Huck lace, for example, has a 5-end unit, which makes juggling it into 8 ends a bit more challenging, esthetically.)
In an ideal universe, I’d do all the analysis and make sure that all the weave structures I want to try worked on an 8-shaft straight draw before starting to thread. However, there are a LOT of them, and I’m not that patient, so I’m just going to thread it up. I have a list about ten or twelve structures long that look like they’ll work, so if a few fall by the wayside, I’ll have plenty left to play with.
Currently I’m looking at honeycomb. It’s a distorted-weft weave, which (according to Mastering Weave Structures) consists of areas of plainweave alternated by areas of floats. The areas of plainweave spread out into the areas of floats, and if you use a heavier thread to outline the edges of the areas of plainweave, it curves around, giving the appearance of (surprise!) honeycomb.
A pic and description is on Schacht’s website here.
On 8 ends, however, I can only get a float of max length 6, which at 40 epi would come out to a bit over 1/8″. So the cells would be quite small, and I’m not sure if it would work visually. However, as always, there’s only one way to find out: weave it! So I plan to do just that.
I also plan to try waffle weave, which is the classic weave you find in dimpled dishtowels. Pat (Purple Donsu) has a great shot of what waffle weave looks like on the loom in her blog. When washed, the areas of long floats collapse, producing a dimpled effect, often seen in dishtowels.
I’m particularly excited about waffle weave because it draws in quite a bit, which would be neat for creating textured effects when combined with network drafting. Basically, when you have one area that draws in and another area that does not, you get a ruffle. So I could get vertical ruffles (by using stripes), crinkly texture (by using a semi-random pattern), or something in-between by using, say, a polka dot pattern. The sky’s the limit, really.
Usually I overplan things, trying to extract the maximum learning and broadest set of experiments out of a given warp. This time, though, the possibilities are so endless that I plan to “just do it” and experiment with whatever fits on the warp and comes readiest to mind. I already wish this 13-yard warp were longer!
Yesterday I started a 6-lb batch of candied sour cherries. There are still about 10 pounds (out of an original 24) to go, and I think those will go into a cherry pie, a smallish (2-lb?) batch of brandied sour cherries, and maybe a second batch of candied sour cherries. After that I am sour-cherried out! and will probably skip the excess next year, as I truly have an abundance of sour cherry products.
Tonight, if I’m not cherry-pitting, I will start threading the loom.
